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Survey of Aging Veterans, 1983: [United States] (ICPSR 8479)

Principal Investigator(s):Veterans Administration

Summary:

The Survey of Aging Veterans was designed to provide the
Veterans Administration with information needed to plan for the demands
of United States veterans for medical and pension benefits over the
next decade and beyond. The goal of the study was to be able to make
estimates of future demands and future support needed for the rapidly
expanding older veteran population. The survey yielded data on the
current social, economic, and health status of noninstitutionalized
veterans aged 65 and older, their patterns of utilization of Veterans
Administr... (more info)

The Survey of Aging Veterans was designed to provide the
Veterans Administration with information needed to plan for the demands
of United States veterans for medical and pension benefits over the
next decade and beyond. The goal of the study was to be able to make
estimates of future demands and future support needed for the rapidly
expanding older veteran population. The survey yielded data on the
current social, economic, and health status of noninstitutionalized
veterans aged 65 and older, their patterns of utilization of Veterans
Administration facilities and benefits, and future expectations
regarding use of Veterans Administration programs and services. The
survey also profiled the social, economic, and health status of the
veteran cohorts aged 55 to 64 who will become eligible for Veterans
Administration benefits over the next decade. Variables in this data
collection include age, marital status, veteran status, employment,
medical conditions, functional status, activity level, health and life
insurance coverage, financial status, use of health care services, use
of Veterans Administration benefits and services, future expectations
regarding such things as personal health, finances, and need for
support services, and experience with and attitudes toward Veterans
Administration programs and benefits. The survey was conducted for the
Veterans Administration by Louis Harris and Associates.

Access Notes

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Universe:
United States noninstitutionalized veterans aged 55 and
over.

Data Types:
survey data

Data Collection Notes:

This data set represents data collected for the Survey
of Aging Veterans with the following survey instruments: (1) Veteran
Screener, (2) Proxy Screener, (3) Veteran Main Questionnaire, (4) Proxy
Main Questionnaire. Proxies responded for 47 incapacitated
noninstitutionalized veterans. The Proxy Main Questionnaire essentially
duplicates the Veteran Main Questionnaire except for a set of questions
unique to the Proxy Main Questionnaire (questions 89-98, F4, F5, F7-F9)
and about 15 questions that were asked of veterans but not of proxies.
The same record layout is used for veteran and proxy responses. Blanks
are used as a legitimate code throughout to indicate that a variable
does not apply to the respondent. The tape layout is complicated by the
way in which some of the data items were originally captured on cards.
Variables captured with multiple punches were subsequently recoded as
sets of bivariate variables and added to the end of the record.
Variables originally captured with "x" and "y" punches were recoded
into 2-character fields eliminating the ampersands (&) and dashes (-).
Multiply-punched fields were blanked out. Fields with ampersands and
dashes remain on the record, but can be ignored, as the data exist in a
more usable format elsewhere. The "codebook" included with this
documentation specifies the location of only the most usable version of
each variable. The tape layout included in this documentation may
differ in some instances from the "codebook". Where differences
occur, consider the "codebook" correct. For reasons of
confidentiallity, birth-days have been changed to "99" and telephone
numbers have been blanked out. SAMPLE AGE DISTRIBUTION: 55:0,
55-59:920, 60-64:1057, 65-69:621, 70-74:240, 75-79:92, 80-84:27,
85+:56.